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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25886278">worth fighting for</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeAndArrows/pseuds/CoffeeAndArrows'>CoffeeAndArrows</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>when you figure out (love is all that matters after all) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>7x13, Found Family, Gen, aka my ultimate weakness, have some feelings u guys, immediately post-7x13, what we're fighting for</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:28:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,458</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25886278</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeAndArrows/pseuds/CoffeeAndArrows</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"You… you had a <i>kid</i>."</p><p>Daisy doesn't mean to sound so incredulous, or maybe she does, she can't tell. She's still reeling and her head is throbbing gently in a way that she knows will grow into a splitting headache in a few hours and she's tired, beyond tired, the adrenaline that had been fuelling her earlier fading fast. But none of that matters when Jemma laughs, tears audible, her hand resting lightly against the hair of the girl currently hiding just behind her leg, fingers curled into the heavy fabric of her mother's trouser - <i>her</i> child, her and Fitz's child. <i>They had a kid.</i></p><p>or, some post-finale daisy meeting alya feelings for you all</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jemma Simmons &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Skye | Daisy Johnson &amp; Agents of SHIELD Team</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>when you figure out (love is all that matters after all) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>347</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>worth fighting for</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>me? writing aos fic in 2020? apparently more likely than you think</p><p>what can i say, the finale wrecked me and then i went on a long car journey and thought too much. and then wrote this in the car on my phone. and skimmed it once before posting. so uhh.. enjoy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"You… you had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>kid.</span>
  </em>
  <span>"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daisy doesn't mean to sound so incredulous, or maybe she does, she can't tell. She's still reeling and her head is throbbing gently in a way that she knows will grow into a splitting headache in a few hours and she's tired, beyond tired, the adrenaline that had been fuelling her earlier fading fast. But none of that matters when Jemma laughs, tears audible, her hand resting lightly against the hair of the girl currently hiding just behind her leg, fingers curled into the heavy fabric of her mother's trouser - </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> child, her and Fitz's child. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They had a kid.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It makes sense, in a way she never expected. The implant. Fitz's absence. The reason this had lately seemed bigger than Fitz, the reason Jemma had made sure she couldn't ever remember, the reason Enoch had fought them over and over and over in the time loop to stop this secret from coming to light. The tears streaming down Jemma's cheeks once the implant was out, her devastation upon remembering a child she had forgotten, a child she had left behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Jemma says quietly, although the evidence is standing beside her. Her fingers trail through her daughter's hair, guiding her out from her side. She clears her throat, and Daisy watches as she attempts to piece her emotions back together, lost time slipping between them. "Alya."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There's so much Daisy wants to say, so much she doesn't know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>to say, but all of it fades when Alya looks at her, head tilting to one side slightly in a way that's so painfully, beautifully reminiscent of both of her parents that it brings tears to Daisy's eyes. She blinks them back, ignoring the mirrored emotion in Jemma's expression and instead focusing on the inquisitive four - five? - year old standing in front of her looking at her like she's familiar, like she's stepped straight out of a photograph. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks like Fitz, like the baby photos Daisy remembers seeing years ago, dragged out the depths of Simmons’ camera roll to entertain them all whilst stuck on the bus for hours in between missions with nothing to do. She has the same nose, the familiar curious eyes. Right now, she looks like Simmons does when she tries to piece together parts of a story, like she hasn't quite grasped onto the fragments of information being presented to her yet. She’d picked up her parents’ mannerisms. How long had Fitz and Simmons lived this life they'd had, raising a daughter alone in the future, biding their time and trying to take what they could get before having to burst that bubble and return to the crisis they'd put on hold?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her heart felt heavier, and she leant against the table. They would explain, later. They always did, always made their decisions sound reasonable - or at least more reasonable than hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Daisy?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice is quiet, the hesitant question not directed to her, but she still has to swallow the lump in her throat as Alya looks up to her mother for confirmation of her suspicion. Jemma nods, tilting her head in Daisy's direction in encouragement, and Daisy finds herself unable to tear her eyes away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know who I am?" She asks accidentally, question slipping out unfiltered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The child - </span>
  <em>
    <span>Alya</span>
  </em>
  <span> - takes it in her stride. "From the photos," she says as if it's the most obvious answer in the world, hesitancy fading. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fitz and Simmons showed her photos</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It could be the sharp ache behind her temple or the bone deep exhaustion settling deep within her, but Daisy’s guard is down and something about the simplicity of the words cuts into her, curling around her heart and tugging. She needs to talk to Fitz; Jemma is just as exhausted as her, memories still complex and tangled, and Daisy needs the whole tale sometime soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And from the stories," Alya adds, looking up to Jemma to check this is okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jemma hums softly as Daisy crouches down to Alya's height, met with a gentle smile and curious, inquisitive eyes flicking over her, reading her like a book. She must look awful - matted blood in her hair, bruises littered across her skin, the beating she'd taken at Nathaniel's hands clear as day - but Alya doesn't seem perturbed. Instead, she takes a step back and tugs on Jemma's sleeve, whispering about superpowers. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is it true</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she asks, and Daisy wants to laugh. Right now, her powers are one of the few things she's certain about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time since reuniting with Fitz and Alya, Jemma looks torn. She glances over to Daisy, gaze fixating on the shaking wrist propping her up and the pained expression Daisy fails to hide when she adjusts her position so she's sitting on the ground. Daisy frowns, mouthing "I'm okay" to her at the same time as Jemma's teeth catch in her lip. The pain can wait. She's learnt better than to push it away without treating the cause, and she'll let Jemma or Coulson or May look it over later. But it's not going to get in the way of this, whatever </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not sure, sweetheart," Jemma says anyway, shaking her head. "Maybe another day - "</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," Daisy interrupts, quiet but quick. She wants this. She needs this, needs a reminder of the life unfolding in front of them all, a reminder that this is real and they're here and the fight is over. There's time for levity now. "It's okay," she says lightly when Jemma looks to her, concerned. Alya takes a step closer when Daisy beckons, and Daisy's lips curl up naturally into a smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is true," she tells the wide eyed kid in front of her, happiness curling around at the corners of her heart, growing to become the most prominent emotion she's feeling when Alya's curiosity morphs into delight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's so pure. So innocent, so untouched by the horrors they've just lived through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raises a hand, gently vibrating the air next to Alya's head to blow her hair lightly around her face, the strands tickling and making Alya squeal, giggles too bright and childlike for the dark space that is the beaten interior of the tired lighthouse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jemma's laugh sounds more like a sob when it comes and she presses her hand to her mouth to stifle it even as Fitz pulls her closer, arms tightening around her shoulder. He smiles at Daisy over Jemma's ducked head, a silent thank you on his lips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Alya's eyes beg her, and Daisy complies, surprising herself when her own laugh joins Alya's giggles. She doesn't remember the last time she heard it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She finds herself discreetly wiping tears from her own eyes too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's a few minutes before she notices the audience, feeling Sousa's eyes on her first, as adoring and unguarded as Alya's. Her stomach flips and she looks away - he hasn't mentioned whether he's sticking around now the chaos has ended, she shouldn't let herself… she ignores the heat creeping up her neck, shaking the thoughts from her mind. (He </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> here to stay, and it terrifies and excites her in equal measure, but now isn't the time.) Mack was watching Sousa, gaze warm and curious, Yoyo leaning heavily against his side as peals of childish laughter echoed around them, bathing them all in long gone sunshine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coulson was proud, his pride leaking out in waves, wrapping around them all. They were his team - they'd always been his team - and he would always be their leader. Today though, he was more. He was the one who had brought them together, the one who had given them the gift of each other. Out of the corner of her eye Daisy watches his arm curl around May's waist in an uncharacteristic display of affection, May's eyes wet with the overwhelming relief the whole team was feeling as Daisy made the simple origami butterfly that had once been held in Alya's hand dance through the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all needed this. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Happiness</span>
  </em>
  <span>. A taste of the life to come, now it was over. A reminder that they had been fighting for something good, something worthwhile.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Family</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her own word echoes back to her, truer now than it was before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was what she started this journey for. It was what she had continued this journey for too, clutching at the shreds of one crumbling family and then another, building this one back up and searching for a place to belong. She hadn't found it where she had expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> found it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And even though the mission was over and soon most of them would go their separate ways, this time, she was determined to keep it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tumblr @z-tomaz</p></blockquote></div></div>
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